Cakes & Bakes: Bread, butter and jam pudding

This bread, butter and jam pudding is a really easy, winter comfort food dessert. It’s the best use of stale bread out there!

To begin with, I used the Justin method of spreading butter and jam… i.e. thick and generous. We have lots & lots of delicious home-made jam, made with our own damsons. Then, all you need to do is layer up the slices and pour over the egg, milk & sugar mixture.

Serve hot – on its own or with cream, ice cream or hot custard.

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Bread, butter and jam pudding

2020-02-25 14:22:46

Serves 6

Cook Time

40 min

Cook Time

40 min

Ingredients

4-6 slices white bread, slightly stale
butter
fruit jam or jelly
¾pt/15fl oz full cream milk
¼pt/5fl oz double cream
100g/3½oz caster sugar
4 eggs

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Instructions

Grease a large oven-proof baking or casserole dish
Generously butter the slices of bread on both sides then spread all but 2 with some jam/jelly
Cut the slices in half and lay half the slices without jam on the bottom
Lay another layer on top using the jammed slices then lay the rest of the unjammed slices on the top layer
Slightly warm the milk (either in a pan on the stove-top or in the microwave)
Add the sugar and stir until completely dissolved
Stir in the double cream
Whisk the eggs and add them to the liquid
Pass the mixture through a sieve before pouring it over the bread in the oven dish
Cover the dish and put it in the fridge for at least an hour (an up to overnight) to allow the liquid to be completely absorbed by the bread
Cook in a pre-heated, moderate oven at 175ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4 for 30-40 minutes. If the top begins to brown too much before this time, cover with tin foil and continue cooking

Notes

Serve hot with pouring cream, hot custard or ice cream

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Vegetarian Christmas Pudding

Stir-up Sunday happened to fall on my birthday this year, so I prepared my vegetarian Christmas pudding on the following Monday instead.

I’m a bit of a fussy eater, so I often prefer to prepare my own food – like the mincemeat for mince pies and Christmas pudding. That way, I know that it’s made using vegetarian suet and contains no orange or lemon zest/juice, no candied peel and no whisky – none of which I like.

I had various packets of dried fruit and nuts already in my store cupboard so made a mixture containing raisins, sultanas, dates, dried apricots, almonds and pecans. Any dried fruit & nut combo will work – there’s no right way or wrong way. Also, I had a bottle of dark rum gifted to me by my sister last year; but brandy, sherry, Calvados or Armagnac would also be fine alternatives to the more traditional whisky and stout.

The pudding needs to be tightly sealed using a layer of parchment paper and pleated tin foil (to allow for expansion) and secured using string. A nifty little string handle is optional, but very useful for extricating the hot pudding. You can see how it’s done here.

I have a useful vintage aluminium pudding basin that has hinged fasteners and a handle incorporated into its design.

If you don’t have a steamer, put an upturned (heat-proof) saucer in the bottom of a saucepan, sit your pudding on top of it, fill the saucepan with hot water to about halfway up the sides of the basin and cover the saucepan with a lid. As the pan will be simmering away gently on the stove for about 5 hours, lift the lid every so often to check and see if the water level needs topping up.

Once cooked, the pudding should be stored away somewhere cool and dark until the big day. Some people prepare their puddings a year in advance; i.e. the one they prepared on this year’s Stir-up Sunday will be put away until Christmas Day 2020. They swear by the superior flavour that develops from giving the longer resting time.

There are as many preferred accompaniments to Christmas pudding as there are Christmas pudding recipe variations; brandy butter, pouring cream, clotted cream, custard or ice cream. Lots of people comment about having leftover pudding on Boxing Day, fried in butter, with bacon or with cheese (a Northern thing, apparently).

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Vegetarian Christmas pudding

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Course Dessert

Cuisine English

Servings 6 portions

Ingredients

SOAK FOR 1-7 DAYS

75 g/2⅔oz raisins
75 g/2⅔oz sultanas
200 g/7oz dates finely chopped
50 g/1¾oz dried apricots finely chopped
50 g/1¾oz almonds chopped
50 g/1¾oz pecans chopped
150 ml/5¼fl oz dark rum

CREAM TOGETHER

2 eggs
75 g/2⅔oz muscovado sugar
50 g/1¾oz butter
1 lime zest & juice

SIFT TOGETHER

50 g/1¾oz self-raising flour
½ tsp mixed spice
a little fresh grated nutmeg

COMBINE ALL OF THE ABOVE THEN ADD

25 g/¾oz vegetarian suet
100 g/3½oz wholemeal breadcrumbs
small cooking apple peeled & grated

Instructions

Generously grease a 1.5 pint pudding basin with a little butter. Cut out a small disc of parchment paper an lay it on the bottom of the basin
Spoon the mixture into the pudding basin, pressing the contents down firmly with the back of the spoon
Lay a circle of parchment paper over the top of the filled pudding bowl so that there’s a 2cm overhang
Cover the parchment paper with a pleated layer of tin foil, also with a 2cm overhang
Secure the parchment/tin foil overhang with string tied around the circumference of the pudding bowl, under the lip
Attach another piece of string to act as a lifting handle
Simmer the pudding in a steamer (or lidded saucepan with a trivet/upturned saucer and hot water that reaches halfway up the sides of the bowl) for 5 hours topping up the water level when necessary
When cooked, allow to cool completely, remove the parchment & tin foil cover and string and replace with new. Store in a cool dry place, ready for reheating on Christmas day. Reheating will take about 90 minutes, steaming using the same method
Once reheated, invert on to a serving plate and remove the disc of parchment paper. Just before serving, pour over a couple of tablespoons of rum that has been warmed in a little saucepan. Carefully set it alight

Vegetarian Christmas pudding ingredients

Serve with thick cream, rum or brandy butter, custard or vanilla ice cream

Keyword Christmas, dried fruit, pudding, vegetarian

Keto chocolate almond chia seed pudding

I’ve said many times that I always like to round off my evening meal with a little bit of sweetness. However, as I’ve been restricting my carb and sugar intake of the past couple of months, it has become a challenge. A little bowl of keto chocolate almond chia seed pudding gives me the sweet finish I crave after finishing my dinner.

I’m a new convert to chia seeds – like goji berries, they’ve been hailed a new ‘super food’. You can buy a small packet in the supermarket for less than a couple of quid. They’re a great source of Omega 3 (great news for vegans & vegetarians), thiamin, niacin and dietary minerals.

These guilt-free puddings can be whipped up in under ten minutes – just give the chia seeds an hour or more to swell. Their incredible ability to absorb liquid is the reason they help you feel full. If you’re a fan of tapioca (I am) – you’ll love chia seeds!

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Keto chocolate almond chia seed pudding

2018-09-12 13:35:05

Serves 2

Ingredients

5g/1tbsp cacao powder, unsweetened
120 ml/4fl oz almond milk
25g/1tbsp almond butter
75g/60 ml/2fl oz coconut milk
30g/1oz chia seeds, whole
3 tsps Natvia or other no-cal, low carb sweetener
2tsp raw cocoa nibs (optional) and/or
2tsp toasted flaked almonds (optional)

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Instructions

In a measuring jug, combine the cacao powder and a couple of tablespoons of the almond milk to form a paste. Add the rest of the almond milk and stir to mix
Add the almond butter and stir to combine
Add the coconut milk, chia seeds and sweetener. Stir well until fully combined
Pour into glass coupes or small bowls and refrigerate for at least an hour
Sprinkle with cacao nibs and/or toasted flaked almonds before serving (optional)

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Almond and blueberry sponge pudding

I’ve had a slow-cooker for ages and, like most people, don’t make use of it nearly enough. It sits lonely in my kitchenette waiting patiently for its opportunity to shine. Last week, I saw a slow-cooker recipe for a cherry Bakewell pudding and decided to convert it into and almond and blueberry sponge pudding.

It’s a real no fuss, straightforward recipe. I swapped cherries for blueberries; however raspberries, strawberries, redcurrants or blackcurrants would work just as well.

I highly recommend these reusable silicone pot covers as a green alternative to cling film. They come in six graduated sizes from 3-8 inches so fit containers ranging from ramekins to medium-sized mixing bowls. I use them all the time for storing food in the fridge and heating things in the microwave. I’ve now discovered that they’re perfect as a slow-steaming pudding lid!

If like me you like a bit of a crispy texture, you can stick the pudding under the grill for a couple of minutes at the end of its cooking time.

We served our almond and blueberry sponge pudding with custard. The flavour combination of almond sponge and vanilla custard with a touch of fruity sharpness from the blueberries is a real winner.

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Almond and blueberry sponge pudding

2018-02-14 08:14:18

Serves 4

Cook Time

4 hr

Cook Time

4 hr

Ingredients

150g/5¼oz blueberries, frozen and thawed
115g/4oz sugar, plus 3 tablespoons
110g/4oz butter, softened
2 eggs
½ tsp almond extract
75g/2⅔oz self-raising flour
75g/2⅔oz ground almonds
2 tbsp milk

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Instructions

Grease a 1.2-litre pudding basin, including the lid if it has one In a small saucepan, heat the blueberrries and the 3 tablespoons of sugar until the sugar dissolves and the fruit begins to burst and the juice is released. Remove from the heat before the fruit collapses. Set aside
Cream the butter and the remaining sugar together until light and fluffy
Beat in the eggs one at a time until the mixture is loose and airy
Add the almond extract and combine
Fold in the flour and ground almonds
Add in the milk and combine gently. The batter should have a light texture
Put 100g of the blueberries in the bottom of the basin and pour the batter over the top of them. It won't fill the basin, but don't worry as this will give it space to expand as it cooks. Reserve the remaining cherries until later
Cover the basin securely with the lid and set it into the slow-cooker crock
Pour boiling water into the crock to come halfway up the side of the basin
Put the lid on the slow cooker and steam on high for about 4 hours. It will rise, becoming a light, fluffy sponge
Turn the pudding out onto a plate, piling the reserved cherries on top, and allow the blueberry juice to drizzle down the sides of the pudding before spooning into servings

Notes

Serve warm with hot custard

By Miss South

Adapted from Slow Cooked

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/